The latest craze has donuts combined with croissants and the result is a cronut. I have yet to try this magical concoction but I decided to do some baking mating of my own. I wanted to make the girls a baked donut recipe I had seen on my go to site – King Arthur Flour. But it required a special donut baking pan and I could not even improvise that contraption. So I surfed around the site further and found a donut muffin recipe. This sounded like the perfect marriage to me – the shape of a muffin but the texture and flavors of a donut. So I made it for breakfast today and I am happy I did. Donut muffins are simple and quick to make. They are not fried and you know what is in them so you don’t have to feel guilty, especially with only 280 calories.

The result is a muffin that is light, buttery, fluffy and delicious. It is not heavy or dense like a typical muffin batter. Plus with the addition of the sugar and cinnamon on top and the nutmeg in the batter, it has the flavor of a cinnamon sugar donut. It almost tasted like a sugar cookie muffin to me because my moms sugar cookies have similar spices. I like how you brush the tops with melted butter and then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mix. I actually just dipped my muffins right into a bowl with the mix. I think you could even add other toppings if you wanted to make a variety of “donuts” – like chocolate glaze, sprinkles, or powdered sugar. It was a big hit with the little humans in my house too. So if you get the weekend craving for donuts, try this from scratch version that won’t disappoint!

1) Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a standard muffin tin. Or line with 12 paper or silicone muffin cups, and grease the cups with non-stick vegetable oil spray; this will ensure that they peel off the muffins nicely.

2) In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream together the butter, vegetable oil, and sugars till smooth.

3) Add the eggs, beating to combine.

4) Stir in the baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, salt, and vanilla.

5) Stir the flour into the butter mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour and making sure everything is thoroughly combined.

For years I have been on the quest to find the perfect brownie. I’ve tried and posted several recipes. I have even tried a few Nutella brownie recipes too, assuming the Nutella would make a perfect addition. But I have not been satisfied with my results yet. I recently made these Brownies from my decadent dessert go to gal, Ina Garten. I have to say her Outrageous Brownie Recipe came out really delicious but not quite perfect yet. They were very rich and very sweet but still didn’t have that box brownie texture I am trying to achieve.

Cooks note: They have over a pound of butter in them so be prepared. I m not a fan of nuts in my brownies but I think these would have been better if I added nuts as the recipe instructed. Anyhow, chocolate is chocolate so I don’t discriminate. I made them to send to some sailors overseas and it made a whole huge sheet tray, about 50 brownies. I am not sure how Ina measures her portions but she said to cut them into 20 bars! Those would be massive. You could probably half the batch if you don’t need enough brownies to feed an army, no pun intended, ha!

Melt together the butter, 1 pound of chocolate chips, and the unsweetened chocolate in a medium bowl over simmering water. Allow to cool slightly. In a large bowl, stir (do not beat) together the eggs, coffee granules, vanilla, and sugar. Stir the warm chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and allow to cool to room temperature.

In a medium bowl, sift together 1 cup of flour, the baking powder, and salt. Add to the cooled chocolate mixture. Toss the walnuts and 12 ounces of chocolate chips in a medium bowl with 1/4 cup of flour, then add them to the chocolate batter. Pour into the baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes, then rap the baking sheet against the oven shelf to force the air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough. Bake for about 15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Do not overbake! Allow to cool thoroughly, refrigerate, and cut into 20 large squares.

Many years ago I went on a cruise with my favorite cousin and tasted rum cake for the first time. As a teen it was like the taste of sweet rebellion having a rum soaked cake. I had not thought of it until recently when a friend asked me to bring a sweet treat to a party. I asked for some ideas and one was rum cake. As my readers know, I love a challenge. I love making something new and having it turn out delish. So of course I went to my go to baking source -King Arthur Flour’s recipe site and viola! They had the perfect recipe, of course, they always do. Update: it turned out amazing. It was unbelievably moist and so fragrant. The rum definitely gave it a kick but wasn’t overwhelming. Everyone cleaned their plates!

directions
1) Preheat oven to 325°F. Spritz a 10 to 12 cup bundt pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle on the pecan or almond flour and turn the pan to coat evenly. Set aside.

2) Place all of the cake ingredients except the rum, vanilla and butter rum flavoring in the bowl of your stand mixer and blend on medium speed for 2 minutes. Be sure to scrape down the bowl after one minute.

3) Add the rum, vanilla and flavor if using to the batter and blend for another minute. Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and spread level with a spatula.

4) Bake the cake for 50 to 55 minutes. You may smell the nut flour toasting at first, especially those not covered in cake batter. When done, the cake will test clean on a cake tester. Bundt cakes are difficult to test properly with a short toothpick. Instead try a piece of dry uncooked spaghetti or linguine.

5) Leave the cake in the pan to cool slightly while you make the soaking syrup.

6) In a medium-sized saucepan combine the syrup ingredients, except vanilla. Bring to a rapid boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 5 to 8 minutes, until the syrup thickens slightly. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.

7) Pour about 1/4 of the syrup over the cake (still in the pan). Allow the syrup to soak in, then repeat again and again until all the syrup is used.

8) Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and allow the cake to sit out overnight to cool completely and soak in the syrup. When ready to serve, loosen the edges of the cake and invert on to your serving plate.

9) Serve with hot coffee or tea. The cake is very moist, fragrant and potent.

I have tried many coffee cake recipes and have yet to find one I did not like. But my most favorite type of coffee cake is a crumb cake. There are a few regular recipes I use but my mom always makes the NY crumb cake version and had given me the recipe. I did not try it until recently and I am glad I did. It was super easy to make and it was the best coffeecake I have made in a while. I should have know it was good because my mom gave it a 6 star rating. It tasted exactly like an Entenmann’s crumb cake, minus the ingredients you can’t pronounce. So if you need something sweet to start your holiday breakfast off right, try this easy treat and you won’t disappoint!

New York Crumb Cake

Makes 1 9×13 inch cake

Cake Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons of canola oil, plus more to brush the pan

1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour, plus more for pan

1/2 cup of granulated sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 large egg

1/2 cup of milk

2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract

Topping:

1 cup of light brown sugar, packed

1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon

1 cup (2 sticks) of unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour

+confectioners sugar for dusting after baking, a must!

1. Place rack in center of oven and heat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly brush a 9×13 inch pan with canola oil, dust with flour, tap out excess. Set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a second bowl, whisk together egg, milk, canola oil, and vanilla. Using a rubber spatula, fold dry ingredients into egg mixture. I think the canola oil is what makes the texture of this cake so soft and light like the store version, all of my coffee cake recipes usually call for butter. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan, it will be pretty thin and look like this:

In a medium bowl combine topping ingredients: flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Pour melted butter over flour mixture and toss with rubber spatula until large crumbs form like this:

Sprinkle crumbs over batter so it looks like this, the white stuff is flour, not confectionary sugar (save that for after baking), I just had some flour in the bottom of my bowl.

Transfer pan to oven, and bake for 10 minutes. Rotate pan and continue baking until cake tester comes out clean, about 10 more minutes. Transfer pan to wire baking rack to cool. Dust cake with confectioners sugar using a metal strainer for a pretty effect. Cut into three inch squares and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Enjoy!!!

I recently had a potluck at work and decided to look for a festive recipe to share. I love making cheesecake and it is always a crowd pleaser. I had seen some fun holiday recipe ideas on real simple and decided to go for these Santa Cheesecake bites (click through the pics to see these). It was easy to make and they came out very cute. If I made them again I would probably cut the squares bigger and follow the steps for the whipped cream piping, as I didn’t have much time so I used a can of whipped cream (gasp!). The cheesecake was surprisingly light due to the addition of the white chocolate I think. I don’t even like white chocolate but these turned out great. Everyone was very happy with the results. Check out the link for some other cute holiday desserts, I think we will make the pretzel Santa hats for Santa this year.

Santa Hat Cheesecake Bites – from realsimple.com

Yield: 25

Ingredients

18 Oreos finely crushed to about 1 3/4 cups*

2 1/2 Tbsp butter, melted and divided

2 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/3 cups white chocolate chips

1/2 cup + 1/3 cup heavy cream, divided

25 fairly small, fresh strawberries (or more if cutting more squares)

2 Tbsp powdered sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line an 8 by 8-inch baking dish with two large sheets of tinfoil (one going horizontally and one over the top of the other vertically. Make sure your sheets are long enough that you’ll have an overhang of foil over the edges of the pan. Also, be sure to mold it well to the pan). Brush foil with 1/2 tbsp melted butter. In a mixing bowl, using a fork blend together crushed Oreos and 2 Tbsp melted butter until mixture is well combined and evenly moistened. Press mixture firmly into the bottom of the prepared baking dish (the bottom of a flat measuring cup or glass works well for pressing crust), set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer set on medium-low speed, blend together cream cheese and granulated sugar until mixture is smooth, about 30 seconds. Add in eggs and vanilla extract and mix until well blended. In a separate microwave safe bowl, heat white chocolate chips with 1/3 cup heavy cream on 50% power in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval until melted and smooth. Pour melted white chocolate mixture into cream cheese mixture and blend on low speed until combined. Tap bowl against counter top about 30 times to release some of the air bubbles then pour mixture over prepared crust in baking dish.

Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes then turn oven off and without opening oven door allow cheesecake to rest in warm oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes, then cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 3 hours or refrigerate for 6 hours.

Once cheesecake is fully chilled and set, remove from freezer or refrigerator and lift cheesecake out of pan using the foil overhang. Cut cheesecake into squares (I’d recommend cutting them just a bit larger the the width of your strawberries. Also it’s nice to keep some clean paper towels close by to clean your knife while cutting squares).

In a mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer set on high speed, whip remaining 1/2 cup heavy cream until soft peaks form, then add powdered sugar and mix until stiff peaks form.

To assemble: cut a flat top off of each strawberry and lay flat side down over top of cheesecake. Fill a pastry bag (or Ziploc bag and cut a small tip of corner) with sweetened whipped cream and pipe around strawberry then finish with a small amount over the top of the “hat”. Serve immediately (for do ahead- you can make cheesecake the day before then assemble within an hour of serving the following day). Store in refrigerator in an airtight container.

*Don’t use Doublestuff Oreos. I processed the Oreos in a food processor but if you don’t have one you can place them in a large Ziploc bag, seal bag and finely crush with a rolling pin .

Every year I make the same amazing turkey recipe given to me by my bestie. I wanted to share it with you and also repost the link to the cobbler I am making, a fan favorite in my family. This turkey has amazing flavor with the combination of fresh herbs, fruit and also the Herbs de Provence. Make sure you use authentic Herbs de Provence, with lavender, as the imitation version does not have the lavender and that makes the dish.

Turkey with Herbs De Provence & Citrus

Ingredients

1 (14 to 15-pound) turkey, neck and giblets reserved

1 orange, cut into wedges

1 head of garlic cut in half

1 granny smith apple, cut into wedges

1 lemon, cut into wedges

1 onion, cut into wedges

6 fresh rosemary sprigs

6 fresh sage sprigs

6 fresh oregano sprigs

7 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons herbes de Provence

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

6 cups canned low-salt chicken broth (approximate amount)

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

Directions

To make the turkey: Position the rack in the lowest third of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.

Rinse the turkey and pat it dry with paper towels. Place the turkey on a rack set inside a large roasting pan. Place the orange and lemon wedges, onion, and 2 sprigs of each fresh herb in the main turkey cavity. Tie the legs together to hold the shape of the turkey. Stir 2 tablespoons of butter, the herbes de Provence, oil, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of each the salt and pepper in a small saucepan over medium heat just until the butter melts. Rub the butter mixture all over the turkey and between the turkey breast meat and skin. Place the turkey neck and giblets in roasting pan. (Recipe can be prepared up to this point 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before roasting.)

Cover the turkey breast with foil. Roast for 20 minutes. Pour 3 cups of broth into the pan and stir to scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the remaining sprigs of fresh herbs to the pan. Roast the turkey for 40 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Remove the foil from the turkey; pour 1 more cup of broth into the pan. Continue roasting the turkey until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F to 175 degrees F or until the juices run clear when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced with a skewer, basting occasionally with pan juices, about 1 hour and 30 minutes longer. Transfer the turkey to a platter and tent with foil. Let stand 30 minutes while preparing the gravy.

To make the gravy: Strain the turkey pan juices from the roasting pan through a sieve and into a 4-cup glass measuring cup; discard the solids. Spoon off the fat from atop the pan juices. Add enough chicken broth, about 1 to 2 cups, to the pan juices to measure 4 cups total. Melt the remaining butter in a heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the broth. Simmer until the gravy thickens slightly, whisking often, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve the turkey with the gravy.

I have always been a fan of cutlet themed dinners. From Marsala to Parm to Milanese, a cutlet dinner can be satisfying and simple. I usually make my Aunt’s go to Lemon Chicken recipe loaded with heavenly mushrooms. Recently I decided to change it up after seeing the Barefoot Contessa make her version. Ina is a talented chef and I have tried many of her recipes before. Yes she is a bit fancy pants but that doesn’t deter me from trying her decadent takes on dishes. Lemoore is nothing like the Hamptons, believe me, but making her recipes takes me outside of my little world. This lemon chicken was amazingly juicy and delicious. The combination of olive oil and wine with just the right herbs and fresh lemon made chicken sing with flavor. So if you want to make a simple dish that makes you feel fancy for a moment, check out this version of Lemon Chicken and I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Warm the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add the garlic, and cook for just 1 minute but don’t allow the garlic to turn brown. Off the heat, add the white wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, and 1 teaspoon salt and pour into a 9 by 12-inch baking dish.

Pat the chicken breasts dry and place them skin side up over the sauce. Brush the chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle them liberally with salt and pepper. Cut the lemon in 8 wedges and tuck it among the pieces of chicken.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breasts, until the chicken is done and the skin is lightly browned. If the chicken isn’t browned enough, put it under the broiler for 2 minutes. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and serve hot with the pan juices.

Since anything with #pumpkin is super cool right now I decided to continue on my fall coffeecake bender. I love when company visits and I have a reason to bake up a special treat. The recipe I found this time intrigued me because it was an accidental success. The blogger messed up on another recipe and ended up with this delicious cinnamon swirl pumpkin coffeecake. It was easy to make and insanely delicious. I would have to say it tasted like a pumpkin pie to me, with a glaze on it. I would probably make this again but for a fall potluck or as a dessert for thanksgiving dinner. It was a fun twist on typical pumpkin pie and did not register as coffeecake to me. Regardless, it was scrumptious and it fulfilled that constant pumpkin time of year craving.

Cinnamon Swirl Pumpkin Coffee Cake

Ingredients

1¾ cups of all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

¾ teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

½ cup vegetable oil

½ cup sugar

1 egg

½ tsp vanilla

6 ounces pumpkin puree (about ½ a can)

½ cup milk

Cinnamon Swirl

½ cup sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

¼ cup unsalted butter (1/2 a stick of butter), melted

Glaze

1-1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 tablespoon milk

Instructions

Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F.

With a whisk, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin spice.

It’s fall and pumpkin stuff is everywhere. From Starbucks to cheesy store fall decor, pumpkins make the fall season merry. I saw a friend post a link to this recipe on FB and I knew I had to try it. I love crumb cake and adding the pumpkin gives it a new twist. We had company visiting which always gives me a reason to bake for our guests. The motive is less selfish when I can say I am making it for someone else and then I feel less guilt about eating the whole thing myself. I think it came out quite tasty. The crumb topping pairs well with the pumpkin flavor. The cake is more dense from the richness of the pumpkin pie filling, sort of like a pumpkin bar.So if you are craving fall flavors and want some coffeecake that doesn’t cost $5 a slice at Starbucks, check this out.

Preheat oven to 350°
Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray, set aside.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
In large bowl beat sugar and butter together until combined. Add in eggs, vanilla and pumpkin mixing until smooth.
Add dry ingredients in thirds, alternating with milk, starting and ending with dry mixture. Beat for 1 more minute until smooth, scraping sides as necessary.
Spread batter into pan evenly.
To make crumb mixture, cut together all ingredients using a pastry cutter or fork. I like to get in with my hands and combine the ingredients once they are all mixed, and form larger clumps of crumb.
Spread this mixture on top of cake batter.
Bake for 45-55 minutes until center is set and toothpick comes out clean.
Can be served warm or at room temperature.

I was having a sweet craving the other night and my hubby has been on a super healthy eating streak so I have stopped baking. Since I have made mug cakes before I figured that would fulfill my craving without busting my gut. I found a recipe that included Nutella, which is usually a staple in my pantry, but I shockingly had none in the house. Honestly the cake was so moist and delicious it did not need the Nutella (yes you are reading that correctly, direct from this Nutella addict’s thoughts). So if you need a quick fix for a sweet treat and don’t want to share or have a whole sheet of cake leftover to taunt you, check out this decadent dessert:

Super Moist Chocolate Mug cake

1/4 c flour

2 Tb cocoa (I used new hershey’s dark cocoa, mmmm)

1/4 tsp baking powder

2 Tb sugar

1/8 tsp salt

1/4 C & 1 Tb milk

2 Tb vegetable oil

Mix together dry ingredients, add wet ones and mix till no lumps. Nuke for 70-80 seconds depending on microwave watts. I used a small mixing bowl that is microwave safe because you would need a super large mug to make it. So I guess that makes it a bowl cake, lol. The recipe also said you can insert a spoon of Nutella in the middle and swirl it in upon serving but it did not need that. That would have made it too sweet. It was a bit gooey in center but that made it sort of like a molten lava cake, so I did not cook it any longer. You will not believe how moist and delicious this cake is in mere seconds in your microwave. It hit the spot!